W-B shooting victim faces gun charges

Tony Ransome was recently declared delinquent in the shooting of his half-brother Christian J. Sholly, whom police are now seeking on weapons charges. Mark Moran / The Citizens' Voice

The 20-year-old shot by his half-brother last month at 86 Hutson St. in Wilkes-Barre is now facing charges himself.

Wilkes-Barre police say the gun used to shoot Christian J. Sholly on Sept. 10 was stolen during a burglary in August, according to charges filed against Sholly.

Sholly, 20, was in possession of the stolen gun moments before his half-brother, Tony Ransome, 15, shot him in the chest in a second-floor bedroom, police said.

Sholly's girlfriend, 16, said Sholly had been carrying and showing off the gun for weeks. Police said they learned Sholly accidentally fired the gun into a bedroom mattress days before the shooting.

Detectives filed an arrest warrant against Sholly on Tuesday, charging him with possession of the stolen gun and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

The shooting, police said, occurred after Sholly, his girlfriend and Ransome returned home from smoking marijuana. Sholly removed the gun from his waistband and placed it on a dresser, arrest papers said.

Ransome initially said he then handled the gun and accidentally shot Sholly in the chest, arrest papers say. Investigators say they believe Ransome picked up the gun and pointed it at Sholly's girlfriend before turning it toward Sholly and pulling the trigger.

The gun, which police later found in the home, had its serial number removed, police said.

Investigators said the gun was reported stolen on Aug. 1 by Luis A. Cool-Barrios, of 253 Stanton St., Wilkes-Barre.

No charges have been filed in the burglary.

Police are trying to locate Sholly, who has been released from the hospital.

Meanwhile, Ransome faces years in a juvenile detention center after being declared delinquent Oct. 4 in Luzerne County juvenile court on charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.

Anyone with information on Sholly's whereabouts is asked to contact Wilkes-Barre police at 570-208-4201.

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2055, @cvbobkal

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